Hair waving rod



Feb; 17 1970 w. GAYRRETT 3,495,601

HAIR WAVING ROD Filed Nov. '2. 196'? William Garrett 1N VEN TOR.

By M

United States Patent US. Cl. 132-33 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hair waving rod which uniformly stretches a lock of hair in deeping with the hairs texture-fine, medium or coarse. It will stretch each shaft from tip to root. It can be used in lieu of cold wave devices and dangerous chemicals. The lock of hair is moistened with a weak liquid medium to soften and condition the shafts for stretching. It is then wound around an expansible split tube. After stretching to a predetermined degree, this stretched state is maintained through (1) the evaporation of moisture and (2) spraying a solution on the hair and then drying the hair.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a permanent hair waving rod characterized, broadly construed, by two units, namely, a split tube providing a normally contracted but expansible hair winding mandrel, and manually regulatable expanding means for the tube.

Persons conversant with hair handling and dressing problems are aware that cold wave lotion (ammonium thioglycolic acid as it is known) has been and still is an accepted chemical used for treating hard-to-manage straight hair. Through chemical action it renders the hair so that it is placed in a workable state. Before the abovementioned cold wave lotion came into being, electricity was employed but this too was not only time consuming but equally dangerous because of possible electrocution, burns, etc. Persons engaged in the line of endeavor under advisement know what cold wave chemical does to the shafts of hair. It is actually digested by the action of the acid vapors which in turn offend the sense of smell undesirably. Many women are allergic to the above-identified chemical and can be blinded in the course of a treatment. A neutralizer is essential to stop the action of this chemical or the hair is overprocessed and sometimes ruined.

Having repeatedly experimented with problems having to do with human hair it has been discovered that it has an inherent property comparable with metal called Tensile Strength. In fact, it is comparable to the tensile strength of mild steel. In carrying out the herein disclosed concept the hair is maintained in a state of stress over a suitable period of time until natural growth necessitates a new treatment. Most rods have an extremely small diameter which makes winding slow and difficult for the operators. The herein disclosed invention avoids this handicap inasmuch as the rod does the needed work. It facilitates the dexterity of a human being having to manually wind a multiplicity of rods on one head. Its diameter can and does vary greatly over currently usable prior art types. What is accomplished in brief is utilization of the natural or inherent property of hair with an aptly suitable type of hair waving rod. With the preceding general information as an introductory background the following description can be satisfactorily comprehended.

The subject matter comprehended by the disclosure and, more particularly, by the claims has to do with a longitudinally split plastic tube of uniform cylindrical crosssection from end to end, and complemental conical expending heads located at the respective ends of a rod or ice shaft passing axially through the cylindrical bore of the tube.

The aforementioned problem is better solved herein because of uniform stretching from tips to root ends. Every millimeter of the entire linear length of each shaft in the coiled lock is stretched to a predetermined incre ment by regulatable means.

Briefly, the device or implement herein disclosed comprises an elongated hollow tube which is slotted or split lengthwise along one longitudinal side. The edges defined by the slot are parallel and spaced apart. The tube is cylindrical in cross-section, has a smooth tress winding surface and is made of material which can be progressively circumferentially expanded to thus provide a hair winding and stretching mandrel. This mandrel has the capability of expansion after the lock of hair has been completely and uniformly wound around the mandrels peripheral surface. Manually regulatable tube expanding means is provided. This means preferably, but not necessarily embodies adjustable expanders telescoping into the respective open end portions of said tube and capable of spreading the aforementioned edges apart in a manner to expand the tube.

A general objective in the instant achievement is to provide a simple, practical and easy-to-use composite hair Waving rod which features the capabilities above set forth and provides a structurally unique end product having the necessary self-contained capability of achieving an acceptably improved result.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a hair waving rod constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and showing the manner in which it is constructed and used.

FIG. 2 is a view with parts in section and elevation taken on the plane of the central section line 2-2 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG 3 is a cross-section on the section line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the principal component parts and how they are designed for quick assembling and usage.

The aforementioned split elongated tube or sleeve is preferably, but not necessarily, constructed of an appropriate grade of plastic material and is denoted by the numeral 6. The respective left and right ends are denoted at 8 and 10 respectively (FIG. 4) and the longitudinal or lengthwise slot is denoted at 12. The tube is referred to as a split tube and the straight spaced parallel edges along the slot are denoted at 14. The smooth cylindrical peripheral surface around which the lock or tress of hair is Wound is denoted at 16, The inherent resilient properties of the tube serve to maintain the tube in the normal contracted state illustrated for example in FIG. 4. The manually actuatable mechanical expanding means comprises a first head 18 at the left which has a truncated conical expander portion 20 and has a knob-like grip 22 at the left. The aforementioned shaft 24, which is of requisite length and cross-section has one end which is axially aligned with and is joined to the truncated end portion 26. The other free end of the shaft is screwthreaded as denoted at 28, The shaft is of the approximate length shown, when in use, in FIG. 2. The second conical expander head is denoted generally at 30 and it is like the head 18 in that it has a conical expander portion 32 with a truncated end 34 which, in order to achieve the result desired, is provided with an axial screw-threaded socket 36 into which the screw-threaded end 28 can be screwed. It follows that from a standpoint of mechanical utility the shaft 24 and integral complemental head 18 constitute a simple bolt while the companion head 30 provides a connectible and an adjustable nut. The enlarged right hand end portion of the head 30 provides a finger-grip which is preferably milled or knurled as at 38.

The component parts 6, 18 and 30 are clearly shown in their ready-to-use relationship in FIG. 4. The manner in which the parts are assembled and adjusted for use is shown in FIG. 2. On the other hand, the manner of using the device is evident, it is believed, from the illustration thereof in FIGS. 1 and 3. With further reference to the head 30 it is to be pointed out that in practice it is provided with encircling graduations or lines such as at 40 which can be appropriately marked with letters or other indicia to serve as an indicating scale ranging from zero and designating adjustment steps which have to do with fine, medium and coarse strands of hair.

The split tube or sleeve 6 constitutes a coiling mandrel and is of one-piece solid plastic, that is, molded plastic as suggested in the views of the drawing. The aforementioned bolt is also of one-piece solid plastic construction.

It is reiterated that for best results cold wave lotion or thioglycolic acid must be used with the herein disclosed rod.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A hair waving rod comprising an elongated hollow expandable tube of uniform cross-section from end to end, said tube being open at its respective outer ends and provided on one longitudinal side only with a longitudinal slot opening at its respective outer ends through the respectively cooperable outer open ends of said tube, the opposed lengthwise edges bordering said slot being parallel, uniformly and constantly spaced apart, and capable of being forcibly equally spread apart when said tube is circumferentially expanded, said tube constituting a winding and stretching mandrel and having the capability of controllable progressive stretching of the shafts of a lock of hair from tips to root ends, and manually regulable tube expanding means embodying axially aligned first and second expander heads telescopingly but removably and adjustably plugged into the respective open ends of said tube, and a shaft extending axially through the hollow bore of said tube and operatively connected at its respective ends with said heads and adapted to link and draw said heads together in a manner to act on and uniformly expand the tube from end to end.

2. The hair waving rod defined in and according to claim 1, and wherein said heads are conical in form and substantially the same in construction, said heads being capable of fitting telescopingly into either open end of said tube, said shaft having one end fixed axially to an inwardly disposed telescoping end portion of said first head, the other end of said shaft being screw-threaded and the inner telescoping end of said second head having an axial screw-threaded socket into which the threaded end of said shaft is operatively screwed.

3. The hair waving rod defined in and according to claim 2, and wherein the respective outer ends of said heads being of a cross-section comparable to the outside diameter of said tube, said outer ends having knurled surfaces and providing anti-slipping finger-grips, the exterior peripheral surface of at least one of said heads having vivid encircling marker rings interrelated in longitudinally spaced parallel graduated relationship and in dividually designated with the letters F-M-C indicative of the contemplated needs for stretching and tautening shafts of hair which vary in texture such as, for example, fine, medium or coarse, as the case may be.

4. A hair winding and stretching rod which utilizes the inherent tensile strength properites of the texture and fineness of a lock of hair, said rod comprising: an elongated hollow expansible tube split lengthwise along one longitudinal side only, the edges defined by and mar ginally bordering said split being spaced apart, said tube having a smooth external hair winding surface and being made of material which can be progressively circumferentially expanded whereby to provide a hair winding and stretching mandrel, said mandrel having the capability of expansion after the lock of hair has been completely and uniformly wound around said winding surface, and manually regulatable expanding means cooperatively oriented with said tube and capable of spreading said edges apart and progressively expanding the tube to a predetermined degree, said tube expanding means comprising a shaft extending axially through the bore of said tube, said shaft being provided at its respective ends with first and second conical heads providing expanders, said heads being tapered toward each other and having inner ends telescoping into the respective end portions of the hollow bore of said tube, and having accessible outer ends fashioned into and providing finger-gripping headturning knobs.

5. The hair waving rod defined in and according to claim 4, and wherein said heads are of like size, shape and dimensions and are of a cross-sectional dimension to fittingly orient and coact with the respective ends of the bore of said tube.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,474,449 6/1949 Whyte 132-33 3,141,463 7/1964 Hatton 13242 FOREIGN PATENTS 460,580 6/1928 Germany.

ANTONIO F, GUIDA, Primary Examiner J. W. MITCHELL, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 13239 

